Melpominee
Named for Melpomene, the Greek Muse of tragedy, the unique Discipline of the Daughters of Cacophony is one of speech and song. The powers of this Discipline explore the various uses of the voice for both benefit and harm. As is the case with mortal art, it is not always clear which of those directions these powers take. No character may have a rating in Melpominee higher than her Performance rating. Melpominee affects the subject's soul as well as the ears; thus, it works perfectly well on deaf subjects, and has caused at least one known breach of the Masquerade due to this effect. Additionally, the powers of Melpominee work only on those who are present when it is used – Daughters of Cacophony cannot "encode" Melpominee effects onto compact discs or send them across radio signals. = The Missing Voice = A vampire with this power may "throw" her voice anywhere within her line of sight, even carrying on two conversations simultaneously (one with her Missing Voice and one with her actual, physical one). Treacherous Daughters of Cacophony impersonate other individual's voices in order to mislead listeners, and less devious members of the bloodline can use their two voices simultaneously to perform hauntingly beautiful "duets" or eerie one-actress plays. ; System: This power functions automatically as long as the character wills it. However, using The Missing Voice while performing any action other than speech or singing incurs a penalty of two dice on that action due to disruption of the character's concentration. = Phantom Speaker = With this power, the vampire may project her voice to any one individual with whom she has more than passing familiarity. The only distance limitation is that it must be night wherever the intended listener is. The vampire can talk, sing or make whatever other noises she wants. The sounds are inaudible to anyone but the intended subject, unless an eavesdropper has Auspex 3 or higher (and has reason to be listening for such). The Kindred cannot hear the sounds – or the subject's responses – unless she is within earshot. The use of Phantom Speaker has been responsible for several cases of "paranoid schizophrenia." ; System:The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty 7) and spends a blood point. Each success allows one turn of speech; three or more successes allows speech for an entire scene. = Madrigal = The Kindred may imbue her audience with the emotions expressed in her song, rousing them to passion or deluging them with seemingly bottomless despair. Princes on good terms with Daughters of Cacophony sometimes have the songstresses croon before they make an appearance, bolstering their fellow Kindred with a sense of loyalty. ; System:The player rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 7). Each success instills the chosen emotion in a fifth of the Kindred's audience (more than five successes have no additional effect). The Storyteller decides precisely which members of the audience are affected. Characters may resist this power for the duration of the scene with the expenditure of a Willpower point, but only if they have reason to believe that they are being controlled by outside individuals. The song the vampire sings must also reflect the emotion she wishes to engender – no one's going to mob the concert security no matter how well she sings "High Hopes," but they might if she wails "Cop-killer." : Affected individuals should act in accordance with their Natures – enraged Conformists would join a riot but not start one, aroused Bravos may force their attentions on the object of their desire, and jealous Directors may send cronies after their rivals. = Siren's Beckoning = This power reaches deep into the victims' souls to twist their psyches. Siren's Beckoning causes temporary insanity in its victims. Malkavians and vampires in Golconda are immune to Siren's Beckoning; the former are too warped to be further affected, and the latter are too centered. Siren's Beckoning can affect only one victim at a time. ; System: Siren's Beckoning requires an extended, resisted roll. The player rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty of the target's Willpower); the victim resists by rolling Willpower (difficulty of the singer's Appearance + Performance). If the singer accumulates five more successes than the victim at any point, the hapless soul acquires a new derangement (or Psychological Flaw) of the Storyteller's choice. This derangement normally lasts for one night per success over five. With a total of 20 net successes, the Daughter can make it permanent. = Virtuosa = Although many low-level Melpominee powers allow a vampire to affect only one target at a time, those who have mastered the Discipline may entertain a wider audience, as it were. ; System: The Daughter may use Phantom Speaker or Siren's Beckoning on a number of targets equal to her Stamina + Performance. The player must spend one blood point for every five targets beyond the first to be affected in such a manner. Category:Disciplines